WKYT FirstAlert Weather

A Flood Watch and a Winter Storm Watch are out for the entire region late Tuesday through early Thursday.
Heavy rain develops Tuesday night into Wednesday morning and may put down 1”-3” in some areas.
We are looking at the possibility of significant snow and sleet from late Wednesday through early Thursday.

Severe Weather Alert

A Flood Watch and a Winter Storm Watch are out for the entire region late Tuesday through early Thursday.
Heavy rain develops Tuesday night into Wednesday morning and may put down 1”-3” in some areas.
We are looking at the possibility of significant snow and sleet from late Wednesday through early Thursday.

Lexington family turns to social media and "Prayers for Paxton"

There are a lot of things you can like and share on Facebook these days.

The popular site has become a place where if you want to spread the word about something you can do so in no time at all.

WKYT's Amber Philpott has the story of one Lexington family and how they never dreamed they would be the focus of a Facebook page, but how its helping them fight the toughest battle they have ever faced.

None of us know what we would choose to hold onto when the winds of change blow in our lives.

For Jamie Bloyd, its her phone and the simple images of a life now threatened to be changed forever as those winds blow stronger.

At just 5-years-old, Paxton Bloyd is a lot of things, smart, determined, and spunky.

Paxton, taught himself to ride a bike in just one day and there was no looking back.

When it comes to his love of basketball, he's the kid who wants to stay late hoping to perfect his shot just one more time.

"He has always been a very intense little boy, very smart, always has known more than me and just ahead of the curve all the time," said Jamie Bloyd, Paxton's mother.

Paxton has been capturing hearts since he first entered this world, and maybe its fitting that he's doing so now in the virtual world on Facebook.

How many little boys can get the University of Kentucky Wildcats to pose for him, how about the EKU Colonels headed to the NCAA tournament? Somehow Paxton did!

But, how he became a Facebook sensation with more than nine thousand likes is where this story takes a much different turn.

"I have always had a feeling since he was very small that something is going and I didn't know quite what it was," said Bloyd.

Happy, healthy and being a big brother to his sister is just what Paxton was doing when his life changed.

"One day we were in baseball practice and I looked over at him and I noticed what I thought was a swelling on his neck, it just looked like a swollen lymph node."

In just a couple days Paxton's swelling had grown.

Call it a mother's instinct, but Jamie knew something wasn't right.

After tests and pressing for answers Paxton was heading for surgery and a frightening discovery.

"I was listening in on the conversation, and heard him say it is Lymphoma and you need to see a doctor today."

Jamie and her husband Cheslee found themselves that same day at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, their world turned upside down.

Paxton was diagnosed with stage four Burkitt's Lymphoma a very rare and aggressive form of cancer.

"I just never fathomed that my 5-year-old who looks so healthy to me that it could be in 80% of his bones, his liver, his spleen and there were never any symptoms."

This is where Prayers for Paxton really takes off!

People all over the world are Paxton Strong and letting this little boy know it!

As Christians the Bloyd's knew the power prayer, but were reluctant to turn to Facebook, until they realized there was so much prayer to be shared and Paxton needed every bit of it.

"The very first thing I thought was okay, the most important thing to me is to have prayer warriors and to have people all over the world blanketing him and just overwhelming him with prayer."

Paxton doesn't know he has cancer, the reality is that he is too sick for our cameras, for basketball for even riding is bike.

The kind of sick that makes you want to hold onto something even if it's a screen on a phone filled with prayers from strangers.

"It gave me great peace to know that people in Africa, Brazil, all over the world were praying for him and sharing it."

It is a mother's way of holding, weathering a storm that she doesn't know the outcome.

Right now Paxton is scheduled to be at Cincinnati Children's Hospital for at least a year.

As of this week doctors have said the cancer in his bones has gone from 90% to 5%.

The Bloyd's hope it's a sign that not only is the treatment working, but also the power of prayer too.

For more on how you can be Paxton Strong look for the link below as well as links to information on Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Burkitt's Lymphoma.

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